trying to get cut this summer

[tranzformer]

so ive been trying for the past month to get cut. ive been running about 6 times amonth for around 30min. i have also tried to cut out carbs as much as possible. I havent seen the results i would like in getting my abs out, so is this low carb diet worth it. I do situps and pushups everyday and work out with weights like 3 times a week. a friend told me about this http://www.hydroxycut.com/ and i dont know if its worth it. let me know what u guys think

[Squirrel99]

Well, apparently some guys here think you'd be better off buying cocaine to lose weight.

Lots of information on this site

[tranzformer]

Originally posted by Squirrel99
Well, apparently some guys here think you'd be better off buying cocaine to lose weight.

Lots of information on this site

thanx for the links bro. do u have any experience with it??

[ak_powder_monkey]

ohh for the first half of reading this post I though you were suicidal I'm fat so I'll be of no help

[ulty_guy]

oddly enough, i've found that concentrating a lot of my stabilizer muscles (for balance reason, etc.) has gotten me far more cut than i've ever been before.

[summit]

yea... low carb is the way to go! you know, human evolution is irrelevant. roman soldiers used to riot when they got too much meat and not enough bread but their empire fell so fuck that shit. atkins was a morbidly obese but it wasnt due to eating too much fat, nosireebob. carbs are the devil!

[zion zig zag]

Originally posted by SummitCo 1776
yea... low carb is the way to go! you know, human evolution is irrelevant. roman soldiers used to riot when they got too much meat and not enough bread but their empire fell so fuck that shit. atkins was a morbidly obese but it wasnt due to eating too much fat, nosireebob. carbs are the devil!

I agree, but, if you want to get "cut" without losing too much muscle mass, low carb, high protein is the way to go. That is partly how the hydroxycut works, since you're not getting energy from carbs to lift, you get it from the caffiene. I don't think it's very healthy and i don't think you could maintain it for long, but if you just want to look good in a swimsuit and performance isn't an issue, then whatever.

edit: just reread the 1st post. i don't think running 6x a month is gonna cut it. You need to be running 6x a week.

[snorkeldeep]

is it a too much bodyfat issue or a lack of muscle issue? understanding this should help you address the problem. there is a 1 pack/4 pack/6 pack whatever in there somewhere most likely.. it just maynot be that close to your skin.

[Grange]

High protein and a lot of the right cardio is the key. I used to run everyday after the weight room and was quite cut by the end of the summer. I have since cut down my running to now it is almost non-existant due to lack of trails. Now I ride my bike a lot. Although I still get the cardio I don't get the visual results I had from running.

Also incase you haven't thought of it genetics plays a big part.

[elevens]

Sit ups.


nothing more, nothing less....

[Squirrel99]

Originally posted by tranzformer
thanx for the links bro. do u have any experience with it??

Nope- sorry. I have some friends that are personal trainers so I'll see if they have any opinions. I've been surfing around the net trying to get some new ideas for a summer program- it's sucks the pt's I know are in other states.

[KevinDineen]

My former boss was a bodybuilder. Before competitions, she would go on a diet where she ate pretty much constantly. Smaller meals, but every three hours, lots of protien but not too concerned with carbs as she was working out all the time too. She said this speeds up the metabolism and burns the fat off the muscles.

Me, I'm working on maintaining a consistent "Panda Bear" shape.

[Jiffy]

when do you run? midday or am?
exercise in the am, eating very little prior.
this will cause your body to burn fat for energy, instead of the food in your gut.

[TheDingleberry]

Originally posted by tranzformer
so ive been trying for the past month to get cut. ive been running about 6 times amonth for around 30min. i have also tried to cut out carbs as much as possible. I havent seen the results i would like in getting my abs out,

You might want to start running six times a week instead of six times a month. Abs are usually the last thing to lose fat.

[Superstar Punani]

Sex

[Dantheman]

Trying to completely cut carbs from your diet is not healthy. It makes your body produce substances called keytones that majorly fuck with your kidneys. Focus on the uselss carbs--white bread, pasta, potatoes, white rice, anything that's heavily processed. They are all nutritional deserts and spike your blood sugar as badly as pixie stix. Eat plenty of "good" carbs though--whole grains, wheat or wheat berry bread, brown rice, and fruit. These all contain much better nutrition, and they break down slower slow they don't fuck with your metabolism as much. Even more importantly, trying cutting out the bad fats in your diet and replacing them with good fats. Trans fats are by far the worst, so try not to eat anything that contains hydrogentated oils. This isn't easy, they're in everything, especially margarine, never, ever eat that shit. It won't hurt to cut down on butter, cheese, and other saturated animal fats either, depending on how much you consume already, but in moderation they're fine. Do eat plenty good fats though, canola, sunflower, safflower, and olive oils are all great, and just about any kind of nut. People have actually been found to lose small amounts of weight by doing nothing but adding a cup of walnuts to their diet each day.

When I was in high school I spent hours at the gym each week and never got any trimmer. I've had much better success with doing just a few exercises that work a lot of muscles at once, mostly push-ups (the hand-slappin' kind), pull-ups, and ab rollers, plus running and some plyometrics for power. Like ulty said, if you focus on your core everything else will probably fall into place. Don't focus on reps too much either, concentrate on good form and range of motion. Ten reps one well are better than twenty done badly. For example, when you do a pull-up, go alllllll they way down before going back up. You should feel yourself really stretch out. When you do go back up, try and do it in one quick, clean motion. And don't just go to your chin, pull yourself up as far as you can so you work as many muscles as possible and get everything you can out of each rep. I ususally try to get the bar below my nipples on the first four or five reps at least. I guess my point here is working smarter, not just harder, will probably get you better results.

[TJ.Brk]

take pics of yourself and send them to ABC's "extreme makeover" then it's lyposuction away.

It takes more than a month to get the results you want. More like 6 months to a year. Be patient.

[The AD]

Originally posted by Dantheman
Trying to completely cut carbs from your diet is not healthy.

And I would argue you might not want to cut down at all if you are exercising a lot. If you are somewhat sedentary, then yes, you would probably benefit from reducing carbs somewhat. Carbs are the primary emergy source used by your body when you exercise. You'll totally bonk if you try to exercise without eating them.

[FreakofSnow]

Originally posted by tranzformer
so ive been trying for the past month to get cut. ive been running about 6 times amonth for around 30min. i have also tried to cut out carbs as much as possible. I havent seen the results i would like in getting my abs out, so is this low carb diet worth it. I do situps and pushups everyday and work out with weights like 3 times a week. a friend told me about this http://www.hydroxycut.com/ and i dont know if its worth it. let me know what u guys think

agreed, try to run a bit more often than 6 times a month.

I do have experience with Hydroxycut, started taking that stuff when i was on the hotshots to stay awake and keep the energy. That stuff is super potent, will give you a ton of energy and will also make sleeping difficult. Is it worth it, don't think so.

[tranzformer]

thanx for the help, im going to come up with a workout plan today and start running/ doing cardio everyday

[non grata]

I guess my point here is working smarter, not just harder, will probably get you better results.

this is the best advice here. i would advise against going gung ho with a workout regiment at the start or you will burn out quickly. really try to concentrate on form on whatever you do , from running, lifting, stretching etc.

if you have never had a trainer before, i strongly suggest that you go for a free trial as part of the process of forming a workout routine. get someone who can candidly size you up in person instead of referring to a forum that knows nothing about you.

[altagirl]

Originally posted by The AD
And I would argue you might not want to cut down at all if you are exercising a lot. If you are somewhat sedentary, then yes, you would probably benefit from reducing carbs somewhat. Carbs are the primary emergy source used by your body when you exercise. You'll totally bonk if you try to exercise without eating them.

But cutting down on the crap carbs is a good idea. Focus on eating good carbs, like fruit/veggies/whole grains/sweet potatoes instead of white bread and chips and pastries and all that stuff, and you'll be much better off and have more consistent energy levels.

So it might still feel like cutting carbs because you might be cutting out some of your biggest sources of carbs if you're used to eating processed stuff all the time. Just replace them with healthier, more natural souces of carbs.

[ulty_guy]

well, just got back from the gym and getting myself re-skinfolded (wow, that sounds odd). so anyways, i've had my fat percentage checked via skinfold (no, it's not necc the best way, but anyways) 4 times in the past 2 years. at the beginning, i was in pretty good shape, but as i've gone on, i've gotten into really good shape. at any rate, my fat percentage has only dropped from 7% down to 6.5% and my weight has been relatively constant the whole time. however, in the mean time, i can do 10 more situps in a minute and 7 more push-ups....blah blah....

now here comes the interesting part. my body is redistributing what fat that i do have from my hips, stomach, and thigh to my triceps and my calves. apparently, when you start hitting your body's naturally lowest level of fat, it start spreading it out to your extremeties because it doesn't want to lose it even though you've burned it off of your tummy, thigh, hips. anyways, i found that pretty crazy.

[joshbu]

I would totaly focus on your workouts and not your diet. Just drinking extra water, staying away from alchohol, soda, and sweets, and eating a good balance of carbs/fat/protien will be sufficent.

Your workout frequency needs to increase, but bring it up gradually. Your body will not respond well to a huge increase in stress right away. Even at full training peak, you're going to need days off. These days give you muscles a chance to heal and rebuild, which is the whole point of working out anyways.

So maybe start with 4 times a week for 4 weeks, take an off week (do some lifting, but not much: this will help you heal up completely to avoid stress fractures and other nasties.) Then kick it up to 5 times a week for 4 weeks, followed by another week off.

Also, make sure to eat something with some carbs and protien within 30 minutes of working out: that's the time when your muscles are totaly ready to replenish their stores to start rebuilding.

Good luck.

(Take before and after pics. The changes come gradually, and you might not notice otherwise...)